State by State Information

The Bureau of Justice Statistics released the 2008 version of its annual report on the death penalty in the U.S. in December 2009.  Information drawn from the report includes:

• The number of people on death row declined from 3,215 in 2007 to 3,207 in 2008.
• 50% of those on death row had not graduated from high school; only 9% had any college education.
• 91% of those on death row had no prior homicide conviction.
• 13.2% of those on death row at the end of 2008 were hispanic.
• 22% of those on death row were married.
• 1,122 of those on death row were under the age of 25 at the time of their arrest.
• The average time between sentencing and execution for all those executed in 2008 was 11.75 years.

An Appeal Court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico recently held that it would be unconstitutional to extradite Juan Melendez Cruz to Pennsylvania if he faces a possible death sentence. The court referred to the issue as one involving the fundamental right to life. In July 2003, Philadelphia District Attorney spokeswoman Cathie Abookire confirmed that Melendez Cruz, a Puerto Rican native, could face the death penalty in Pennsylvania. Melendez Cruz's attorney, Eileen Diaz, argued that extradition of her client under such circumstances is prohibited by the Puerto Rican constitution.

STATES WITH THE DEATH PENALTY

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